A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based at the University of Kentucky.
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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

With merit and pay increases frozen, Maine trooper says he feeds his family on roadkill

Government financial woes have become so bad in Maine that some state troopers have resorted to eating roadkill. That's what one said Monday during his testimony before the Legislature's budget-writing Appropriations Committee in support of a bill
"that aims to restore about $6 million, over the current two-year budget
cycle, to the state's general and transportation funds for the purpose
of merit and longevity pay increases," which were frozen in 2013, Scott Thistle reports for the Maine Sun Journal. Maine has the largest percentage of rural population in the U.S.

Two state troopers testified, with one saying "he has even resorted to collecting roadkill to help feed his family of
six, while another said that last week his children awoke to a cold
house twice because they were unable to afford enough oil for their
furnace," Thistle writes. One trooper said, "During the winter seasons, we often have to buy heating oil a few
gallons at a time because we rarely can afford the minimal delivery
amount. Due to
the merit stoppage, this year, I had to sell my wife's engagement ring,
military souvenirs from the war and other personal items just to make
ends meet."

Both troopers testified "that their financial situations were a result of merit and
longevity pay-increases that were put on hold in the previous budget
cycle as a means to solve the state's budget shortfall," Thistle writes. One said his family relied on food stamps, the Medicaid for health coverage and that he had re-enlisted in the military reserve for the extra income.

Sen. Emily Cain (D-Orono) said, "Every single one of these individuals goes to work every day and
does their very best and have not had any type of pay increase or even
acknowledgement of how long they've been doing their job for five
years. When you hear from state workers who are working at
least 40 hours a week, and these are the same people who are qualifying
for public assistance, that is simply not OK—it's wrong." (Read more)

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This blog generally follows traditional journalistic standards. It's not about opinions, though you may read one here occasionally. It's about facts that we think will be useful to rural journalists, non-rural journalists who do rural stories, and others interested in rural issues. We don't try to be provocative, so we don't generate as many comments as most blogs with the level of traffic we have, but we certainly invite comments -- and contributions, to al.cross@uky.edu. Feel free to republish blog items, with credit to us and the original source.